The HIV-1 R77Q Mutant Induces Apoptosis, G Cell Cycle Arrest, and Lower Production of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines in Human CD4+ T Cells.

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) occurs when HIV depletes CD4+ helper T cells. Some patients develop AIDS slowly or not at all, and are termed long-term non-progressors (LTNP), and while mutations in the HIV-1 Viral Protein R () gene such as R77Q are associated with LTNP, mechanisms for this correlation are unclear. This study examines the induction of apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and pro-inflammatory cytokine release in the HUT78 T cell line following infection with replication-competent wild-type strain NL4-3, the R77Q mutant, or a Null mutant.

Rising wildfire risk to houses in the United States, especially in grasslands and shrublands.

Wildfire risks to homes are increasing, especially in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), where wildland vegetation and houses are in close proximity. Notably, we found that more houses are exposed to and destroyed by grassland and shrubland fires than by forest fires in the United States. Destruction was more likely in forest fires, but they burned less WUI.

The global wildland-urban interface.

The wildland-urban interface (WUI) is where buildings and wildland vegetation meet or intermingle. It is where human-environmental conflicts and risks can be concentrated, including the loss of houses and lives to wildfire, habitat loss and fragmentation and the spread of zoonotic diseases. However, a global analysis of the WUI has been lacking.

Reduced fire severity offers near-term buffer to climate-driven declines in conifer resilience across the western United States.

Increasing fire severity and warmer, drier postfire conditions are making forests in the western United States (West) vulnerable to ecological transformation. Yet, the relative importance of and interactions between these drivers of forest change remain unresolved, particularly over upcoming decades. Here, we assess how the interactive impacts of changing climate and wildfire activity influenced conifer regeneration after 334 wildfires, using a dataset of postfire conifer regeneration from 10,230 field plots.

The wildland-urban interface in the United States based on 125 million building locations.

The wildland-urban interface (WUI) is the focus of many important land management issues, such as wildfire, habitat fragmentation, invasive species, and human-wildlife conflicts. Wildfire is an especially critical issue, because housing growth in the WUI increases wildfire ignitions and the number of homes at risk. Identifying the WUI is important for assessing and mitigating impacts of development on wildlands and for protecting homes from natural hazards, but data on housing development for large areas are often coarse.

Intraoperative Methadone Use in Pediatric Burn Patients.

Burn injury in children can cause severe and chronic physical and mental sequelae. Opioids are a mainstay in burn pain management but increasing utilization in this country has led to concern for their continued use and potential for dependence. Methadone is a long-acting analgesic that targets the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor in addition to the mu opioid receptor and has benefit in adult burn patients.

Assessing Elimination of Mouse Kidney Parvovirus from Cages by Mechanical Washing.

Mouse kidney parvovirus (MKPV), a newly identified parvovirus of the genus , causes inclusion body nephropathy in severely immunocompromised mice and is prevalent in research mouse colonies. As nonenveloped viruses, mammalian parvoviruses are stable and generally resist thermal inactivation; however, as a novel and highly divergent parvovirus, the thermal stability of MKPV is undefined. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of cage sanitization in a mechanical washer to eliminate MKPV.

When the Learner Is the Expert: A Simulation-Based Curriculum for Emergency Medicine Faculty.

Emergency physicians supervise residents performing rare clinical procedures, but they infrequently perform those procedures independently. Simulation offers a forum to practice procedural skills, but simulation labs often target resident learners, and barriers exist to faculty as learners in simulation-based training. Simulation-based curricula focused on improving emergency medicine (EM) faculty's rare procedure skills were not discovered on review of published literature.

Lessons and Advice From Our Patients: A Focus Group of Sarcoma Survivors.

Background: Sarcomas are a rare, encompassing a heterogeneous group of malignancies. Success treatment often requires a combination of surgical resection, chemotherapy, and/or radiation. These life-altering interventions can have lasting impact on function and quality-of-life.

Evidence of compounded disturbance effects on vegetation recovery following high-severity wildfire and spruce beetle outbreak.

Spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis) outbreaks are rapidly spreading throughout subalpine forests of the Rocky Mountains, raising concerns that altered fuel structures may increase the ecological severity of wildfires. Although many recent studies have found no conclusive link between beetle outbreaks and increased fire size or canopy mortality, few studies have addressed whether these combined disturbances produce compounded effects on short-term vegetation recovery. We tested for an effect of spruce beetle outbreak severity on vegetation recovery in the West Fork Complex fire in southwestern Colorado, USA, where much of the burn area had been affected by severe spruce beetle outbreaks in the decade prior to the fire.

Apathy and Type 2 Diabetes among American Indians: Exploring the Protective Effects of Traditional Cultural Involvement.

In this study we examine relationships between traditional cultural factors, apathy, and health-related outcomes among a sample of American Indian adults with type 2 diabetes. Participants completed cross-sectional interviewer-assisted paper and pencil surveys. We tested a proposed model using latent variable path analysis in order to understand the relationships between cultural participation, apathy, frequency of high blood sugar symptoms, and health-related quality of life.

Telaprevir to boceprevir switch highlights lack of cross-reactivity.

Hepatitis C viral protease inhibitors increase sustained virologic response rates compared to interferon and ribavirin but also add side effects. Telaprevir and boceprevir are structurally similar, and share cross-resistant mutations. This case report highlights successful management of telaprevir skin rash and anal discomfort by switching to boceprevir.

Cytomegalovirus infection in pregnancy: should all women be screened?

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common cause of congenital infection and complicates approximately 1% of all live births. Primary maternal CMV infection carries a 30% to 40% risk of vertical transmission to the fetus. In cases where maternal CMV infection is suspected, it is important to evaluate the risk to the fetus to provide appropriate counseling and guidance to parents.

Iron status in highly active and sedentary young women.

This study examined iron status and nutrient intake in highly active (n = 28; 20 +/- 2 yr, >/=12 hr purposeful physical activity per week [PPA/wk]) and sedentary (n = 28; 24 +/- 3 yr, View Article and Find Full Text PDF

H1N1 Influenza in Pregnancy: What All Obstetric Care Providers Ought to Know.

Pregnant women and their fetuses are at high risk of infection with the novel H1N1 influenza A virus. Obstetric providers need to be prepared to provide the care necessary to address the increased morbidity, mortality, and pregnancy-related complications (including spontaneous miscarriage and preterm birth) faced by pregnant women during an influenza pandemic. This article reviews the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies for the current H1N1 influenza pandemic.

Effect of caffeine as an ergogenic aid during anaerobic exercise performance in caffeine naïve collegiate football players.

Research suggests that caffeine may improve performance in aerobic exercise; the evidence for anaerobic performance is mixed. This study examined the effect of caffeine (5 mg/kg body weight [BW]) vs. placebo on performance-based anaerobic exercise tests used during the National Football League (NFL) Combine.

The effect of caffeine as an ergogenic aid in anaerobic exercise.

The study examined caffeine (5 mg/kg body weight) vs. placebo during anaerobic exercise. Eighteen male athletes (24.